A bottle of merlot shared over a takeaway with a friend; a round of pale ales at the bar on a Saturday night; several rum and Cokes at a work Christmas party.As the weather turns colder and the nights draw in earlier, people love nothing more than an excuse to crack open a bottle of their favorite brew and sink into the warmth of their sofa in front of the fire. However, a new study claims that your desire to drink heavily in the winter could have a direct link to the seasons. Research carried out by the Pittsburgh Liver Research Center has found a connection between average temperature, hours of sunlight and alcohol consumption.The study, published online in the Hepatology journal, used data from 193 countries, which provided evidence that colder climates contributed to a higher occurrence of binge drinking and liver disease. "It’s something that everyone assumed for decades, but no one has scientifically demonstrated it," Dr. Ramon Bataller, a professor of medicine at the University of Pittsburgh, wrote in a press release.The researchers also used information from the World Health Organization and the World Meteorological Organization.The science behind itYou know that warm toasty feeling — commonly known among millennials as a "beer jacket" — you get after a few glasses of alcohol? Well, that's because alcohol is a vasodilator, meaning it relaxes blood vessels and increases the flow of warm blood to the skin.As a result, the findings suggest that people reach for a glass of alcohol when it's cold outside to keep warm.Shorter hours of sunlight and cooler temperatures are also related to higher rates of depression, which is well-known to be linked to an increase in drinking. How does this affect me?"Knowing that colder places have more drink-related problems could be helpful to the efforts in these areas to determine better policies," Bataller told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review."If you have a genetic predisposition to alcohol abuse, maybe you should avoid super cold areas."While binge drinking and liver disease are serious issues to be considered, drinking in moderation — on average 14 units of alcohol a week — has been claimed to reduce mortality risk and lower heart disease risks.

A bottle of merlot shared over a takeaway with a friend; a round of pale ales at the bar on a Saturday night; several rum and Cokes at a work Christmas party.

As the weather turns colder and the nights draw in earlier, people love nothing more than an excuse to crack open a bottle of their favorite brew and sink into the warmth of their sofa in front of the fire.

However, a new study claims that your desire to drink heavily in the winter could have a direct link to the seasons.

Research carried out by the Pittsburgh Liver Research Center has found a connection between average temperature, hours of sunlight and alcohol consumption.

Getty ImagesCaiaimage/Paul Bradbury

The study, published online in the Hepatology journal, used data from 193 countries, which provided evidence that colder climates contributed to a higher occurrence of binge drinking and liver disease.

"It’s something that everyone assumed for decades, but no one has scientifically demonstrated it," Dr. Ramon Bataller, a professor of medicine at the University of Pittsburgh, wrote in a press release.

The researchers also used information from the World Health Organization and the World Meteorological Organization.

The science behind it

You know that warm toasty feeling — commonly known among millennials as a "beer jacket" — you get after a few glasses of alcohol?

Well, that's because alcohol is a vasodilator, meaning it relaxes blood vessels and increases the flow of warm blood to the skin.

Getty ImagesDidier Robcis

As a result, the findings suggest that people reach for a glass of alcohol when it's cold outside to keep warm.

Shorter hours of sunlight and cooler temperatures are also related to higher rates of depression, which is well-known to be linked to an increase in drinking.

How does this affect me?

Getty ImagesWestend61

"Knowing that colder places have more drink-related problems could be helpful to the efforts in these areas to determine better policies," Bataller told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.

"If you have a genetic predisposition to alcohol abuse, maybe you should avoid super cold areas."

While binge drinking and liver disease are serious issues to be considered, drinking in moderation — on average 14 units of alcohol a week — has been claimed to reduce mortality risk and lower heart disease risks.